Seniors

The relationship between prior knowledge and face recognition memory in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease

Article Abstract:

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic form of dementia, or impaired intellectual function, and results from deterioration of the frontal and occipital lobes of the brain. It typically develops between the ages of 40 and 60 years and affects more women than men. AD is characterized by memory loss, deterioration of intellectual function, apathy, disturbances in speech and gait, and disorientation. The effects of prior knowledge on the episodic memory of AD patients and normal elderly subjects were assessed using face recognition tests. Recognition of a face requires the ability to retrieve information, which was shown to be decreased in AD patients. This test also permits examination of the effects of prior knowledge on the AD patient's memory performance. The test consisted of "dated" faces, which were of well-known public figures from the 1940s, and "contemporary" faces of famous public figures from the 1980s. AD patients and normal older subjects of average age 66 to 68 years, were asked to: study a series of dated and contemporary faces; indicate whether they were familiar with the faces based on prior knowledge; and select the correct name for each face in a multiple choice test. Results showed that both groups were able to recognize and name more dated than contemporary faces, probably due to their greater familiarity with public figures of the 1940s period than those of the 1980s period. In the episodic face recognition task, normal older patients performed better for dated than for contemporary faces, whereas AD patients performed similarly for the dated and contemporary faces. Overall, these results suggest that AD patients have impaired ability to use prior knowledge to enhance episodic memory. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Prior knowledge and face recognition in a community-based sample of healthy, very old adults

Article Abstract:

The effects of aging on cognitive support of episodic face recognition was assesed in 228 community-based elderly adults 75 to 96 years of age. Photographs of public Swedish personalities who attained their fame during the 1930s and 1940s or during the 1980s were presented to the subjects. Results showed that face recognition deteriorated with aging. Dated famous Swedish individuals were recognized more than the contemporary faces across the age range. Multiple regression analysis of different variables showed that age best predicts the face recognition performance.

Research, Cognition in old age, Old age cognition, Recognition (Psychology), Recognition (Memory)

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Episodic memory and visuospatial ability in detecting and staging dementia in a community-based sample of very old adults

Article Abstract:

A study of the efficiency of a cognitive test in diagnosing and staging dementia in adults above 75 years of age reveals that detection of dementia proceeds with the aid of cognitive parameters evaluating episodic memory, while visuospatial assessments help stage dementia. This implies a faster degeneration of episodic memory than visuospatial capacities.